The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image for obtaining a stereoscopy through lenticular lenses. Particularly, the present invention relates to a stereoscopic image generating method and apparatus using an image processing of a computer.
A stereoscopic image for obtaining a stereoscopy through lenticular lenses has been known. For example, in the case of generating a stereoscopic photograph, a plurality of two-dimensional images, having different parallaxes, which are obtained at observation points disposed with a constant distance thereamong on a line in parallel to a three-dimensional subject having a depth and extending to the horizontal direction or obtained at observation points disposed with a constant angle thereamong on an arc-shaped curve with respect to the subject, are exposed with different projection angles corresponding to the observation points so as to be imaged on a photosensitive material beneath the lenticular lenses, respectively. The image imaged beneath the lenticular lenses is a line-shaped image which is compressed at the time of passing through lenticular lenses.
When viewing an image imaged beneath the lenticular lenses through the lenticular lenses, the line-shaped image is enlarged and restored through the lenticular lenses. When an operator views the restored image through the lenticular lenses, since there are parallaxes between a pair of images incident into right and left eyes of the operator, these restored images are montaged and then recognized by the operator as a stereoscopy.
When optically obtaining the line-shaped image formed beneath the lenticular lenses by passing through the lenticular lenses, the line-shaped image becomes unclear due to the influence of various kinds of aberrations, and hence the finally obtained stereoscopic image becomes unclear.
Recently, there has been known a means using a computer as a means for forming a clear line-shaped image beneath the lenticular lenses. According to such a means, in order to eliminate the optical aberration causing the aberration, the line-shaped image is obtained not through the lenticular lenses but through the image processing using the computer. Then, the thus obtained line-shaped image is directly formed on a recording medium disposed beneath the lenticular lenses (see Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 6-309431).
As described above, it is possible to obtain a clear linear-shaped image having no aberration by using a computer. However, in the case of obtaining a line-shaped image through the image processing using the computer, a plurality of image data having different parallaxes are obtained and then these image data is changed into a line-shaped image through the compression processing. Thus, since the data processing of a large amount of image data is required, there arises a problem that it takes a long time for the image processing. Further, since images having different parallaxes are obtained from stereoscopic photographing or the like, the conventional means has a problem that many usual planar images which are on the market now can not be used.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the aforesaid problem, and hence an object of the present invention is to provide a stereoscopic image generating method and apparatus which is able to reduce an amount of data to be processed and to form a stereoscopic image using a usual image in the case of obtaining a line-shaped image through image processing using a computer.
According to the stereoscopic image generating method according to the present invention, a plurality of two-dimensional images having different parallaxes are converted into line-shaped images, with forming a first image from the line-shaped images in view of projection angles of lenticular lenses, a second image is formed by a usual planar image, and a composite image formed by the first image and the second image is formed on a recording medium disposed beneath the lenticular lenses.
The stereoscopic image generating apparatus according to the present invention comprises means for converting a plurality of two-dimensional images having different parallaxes into line-shaped images, means for mixing in a desired manner a first image formed by the line-shaped images in view of projection angles of lenticular lenses and the second image formed by a usual planar image to thereby form a composite image formed by a stereoscopic image and a planar image, and means for outputting the composite image to a recording medium.
According to the stereoscopic image generating method according to the present invention, the first image formed by line-shaped images for recognizing a stereoscopic image and the second image formed by a usual planar image are mixed to form a composite image on a recording medium, whereby a pseudo stereoscopic image can be recognized. In this manner, since a pseudo stereoscopic image is formed such that a part of an entire image formed on a recording medium is formed by a usual planar image without forming the entire image formed on the recording medium only by the line-shaped images for recognizing the stereoscopic image, the stereoscopic effect can be obtained easily. Further, since a picture image and a character image obtained through the usual photographing can be used as it is as the second image, the composite stereoscopic image can be obtained easily and efficiently.
Further, according to the stereoscopic image generating apparatus according to the present invention, the first image formed by line-shaped images for recognizing a stereoscopic image and the second image formed by a usual planar image are mixed to form a composite image on a recording medium, whereby a pseudo stereoscopic image can be recognized. Since the line-shaped images forming the first image are used to recognize a stereoscopic image, a plurality of images having different parallaxes are subjected to the compression processing and then formed on a recording medium in a deviated state corresponding to projection angles of the lenticular lenses. However, since the usual planar image forming the second image is formed as it is on a recording medium, the compression processing for forming the line-shaped images, the arithmetic operation for obtaining the projection angles of the lenticular lenses or the like can be eliminated. Thus, the load for the image processing can be reduced.
In the present invention, photosensitive material and various kinds of recording papers may be employed as the recording medium disposed beneath the lenticular lenses.